Glass Dominos
by So Devious
Summary: A healthy does of sexual tension beween two enemies never hurt anyone. Neither has taking care of an alien girl who fell to Earth and eventually being forced to defend the planet. ZaDR, OC
1. The Nameless

-1Disclaimer: All Invader Zim characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez and no money is being made off their use. All original characters belong to me, and it would be rude to use them with crediting me.

Glass Dominos

By

Lisa-chu

Prologue

The Nameless

She figured she would awake to a wide expanse of stars. After all, when traveling the galaxy, what else was there to wake up to? But who would of thought that she of all people would stumble across a whole other solar system? One the possibly undiscovered, at that!

"If the girls only knew!" She murmured excitedly to herself, but in the same instant, realization hit. The girls would possibly never know, because she couldn't tell them. "Not that they would want to talk to a coward like me anyway. Honestly, being banished. My parents would be so embarrassed." She held the stuffed Irken close to her chest as she bit back the tears. Now wasn't the time for crying.

"Coming up on Earth in approximately 5 minutes." The deep voice of the computer boomed.

"Earth? I've never heard of it. Have you, Luna?" She held the doll out at arms length and eyed it curiously. "No, I didn't think so. Computer, give me more information on this…Earth." There was a pregnant pause before the computer replied.

"Earth, population 6 billion and counting. Made up of mostly water. The only known civilization in the solar system." Her antennae perked at the mere mention of it.

"Civilization? You mean there's actually people on that planet? And so many! Computer, set a course for this…Earth."

-

"Damn it all!" Zim shouted as he threw the towel with surprising force onto the floor. Those pitiful humans. "How dare that wretched stink beast talk that way to his future ruler. And that idiot, _Scott_, taking his side." The alien scoffed. "Thinking he knows everything, just because he's the _manager._ Sometimes I think I'd be better off talking to Gir! They should make me manager! I'd run this store like clockwork."

"Run it into the ground is more like it." A voice interrupted from a corner of the break room, nearly scaring poor Zim to death. "Do you really think they'd let a psychopath like you take charge of this place? I'm surprised they let you run the cash register."

"Ha-ha, Dib-stink. Very funny. But I'll have you know that I was a commander of high rank back home."

"Yeah, and look where that got you. Working in a Bloaty's Pizza Hog, barely making enough money for lunch, let alone any long term goal, living in what can only be described as a shanty with fake parents and dogs that's only slightly crazier than you." Dib smirked, flashing a thumbs up. "Good job, Zim. You're officially a failure at life." The raven haired young man fished in his pocket and pulled out a box of menthol cigarettes, putting one in his mouth and tossing the box to Zim. "They calm me down. You should try it before you bust a blood vessel, old man."

In the years since Zim had arrived, many understanding had been reached between Dib and himself. One of those understandings was that Zim would outlive Dib by decades, maybe even centuries, so if the human was going to stop him, he'd better do it soon. Incidentally, another of these understandings was that, by the time Zim actually had a chance to conquer Earth, he would have about three days to savor his victory before the Second Coming of Christ came to pass. So really, there was no rush.

"I don't smoke." Zim replied, dropping that box on the ground and kicking them back to the human, who reached down to put them back in his pocket.

"Pansy." His honey colored eyes bore into Zim's synthetic blues.

"Why do you humans insist on sucking in smoke? Isn't it harmful to your inferior human organs?" Dib shrugged.

"Yeah. But it's my body, and it feels good, so why not?" Dib took another drag and the alien scoffed.

"Stupid humans. Why do I even bother plotting to destroy this planet? You'll all kill yourselves eventually!" Smirking, the human was instantly standing inches away from Zim's face.

"Exactly, so why don't you take whatever little alien buddies you have here, and leave?"

"Why you wretched little worm-baby! I ought to-" The door swung open and the dingy break room was flooded with light.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Scott, the obscenely young manager of Bloaty's, gave the two a curious look. "Membrane, put the cigarette out before you start a fire. And Zim, I thought I told you to get back to work! Why do I even bother with you two?" The two stood, dumbfounded and at a loss for words. They didn't even think to move away from each other. "Whatever! Just quit your little make out session and get back to work, or don't bother coming in tomorrow." Scott exited, slamming the door behind him.

"What a dick." Dib murmured as he ran a hand through his inky black hair. Zim opened his mouth to speak, but before the words could come out…

_An Irken ship closing in on Earth._

"What was that?" Dib asked, alarmed.

"Simply an alarm system. I had it installed after the whole incident with Tak a few years back." He pulled what looked like a PDA system out of his Pak. "It tells me when another ship comes within close proximity to Earth, and where the ship is from. Problem is, there shouldn't be an Irken ship within miles of here." Zim analyzed all the data the computer could come up with, which wasn't much. "It's a Voot Runner, so it's more than likely occupied by a single person."

Dib was growing slightly impatient. Possible alien invasions always made him a little edgy. "So do you have any idea of who it could be?" he asked. "Or where it might be landing?" Zim shook his head.

"I don't who it could be, unless the Tallest decided to finally chart this ball of dirt. As for where it's landing…" He didn't even bother to finish the sentence. In the distance, the clear but faint sound of steel colliding with Earth rang out. "I'd say about two miles east of here."

-

As most know, if a loud crash is heard, ninety percent of those who heard would try to figure out the source of the noise. This time was no exception. By the time Zim and Dib got to the scene of the crash, a small crowd had already formed around the steaming pile of twisted metal.

"Definitely a Runner, but there's no way we can properly examine the damage with all these people around. I wish there was someway to get rid of these people." Zim held a hand to his chin, deep in thought. Dib smirked, getting a brilliant idea.

"Yeah, luckily the thing was empty." He stated, loud enough for everyone to hear. "No one would have survived it. Yep, good thing no one was driving that thing." As planned, the crest fallen crowd began to slowly disperse, leaving the two young men alone with the wreck.

"You actually did something useful, Dib-stink." Zim smiled, obviously impressed.

"I'll take that as a complement. Now how the hell do you open this thing?"

-

The crash had completely knocked her out, and when she came to, all she could see was the floor and the underside of the terminal. She could, however, hear the voices from the outside, and the conversation scared her immensely. Open the cockpit? As in, break in, and possibly steal her and Luna away? And how did these…_Earthenoids_ even know what a Voot Runner was?

"The model seems to have been updated, but the entry method should still be the same. The for a panel somewhere near the bottom.

Shit! Now what to do? She didn't think these Earth creatures would be so cunning! She could hear their determined pawing through the ships floor, and she knew that her options were running out. As her last line of defense, she threw herself into the seat, letting her body fall as limp as possible. As the old saying goes, if you can't beat 'em, play dead.

"Ah! Found it." One of them cried, and she couldn't keep her heart from racing as the cockpit opened and sunlight flooded into her little Voot Runner. This was it.

"Oh my God! There someone in here!"

"Of course, pitiful Earth creature! You didn't think it'd be empty, did you?" '_Please. Please just go away!'_ her mind screamed.

"Well, she's obviously an alien. A friend of yours?" One of the asked. She could feel his hand reaching toward her, and with every blessed inch, her blood pulsed harder and harder.

"I've never seen her before. She was probably still a smeet when I started my-" the creature's hand grazed her cheek, and before she could even think to control herself, she shot out of the Runner, pushed past the two…whatever they were, and landed with a harsh thump on the grass below.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, holding her finger at the ready over the self-destruct button. "I mean it! Come any closer and I'll blow us all back to Irk!" The taller creature, dressed in all black, stepped closer to her. "I mean it!"

"Calm down! Your among friends…I think." He looked back at the other, a shorter you man who looked...a tad green. The whole ordeal was so overwhelming, and she began to feel dizzy.

"Hey, are you alright?" The voice seemed to fade off into the distance, as she slowly slipped out of consciousness.

----

Phew! The story will pick up, I promise. I just wanted to get the ball rolling. Leave me something nice, chu!


	2. Weakling

-1Disclaimer: All Invader Zim characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez and no money is being made off their use. All original characters belong to me, and it would be rude to use them with crediting me.

Glass Dominos

By

Lisa-chu

Chapter One

Weakling

"It says here her name is Merit." Zim stated quietly, not wanting to awaken the hostile young Irken. It was obvious by her reaction that she hadn't meant to crash land on Earth (considering people generally didn't _mean_ to crash land, period.)

"Does it say anything else?" Dib asked from his place next to the couch in the Membrane house, where Merit was resting with Luna clutched to her chest. They had been waiting for hours for her to come to, but with little progress. Merely a stir here or there. But, fortunately, they had managed to find some form of identification, thanks to Zim's handy skill of hacking into her Pak.

"Not much. Just her age. She doesn't even have a rank, yet."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I was right and she's still a smeet. She hasn't even graduated from the Academy yet." The Irken placed a claw to his chin. The whole situation seemed to grow stranger by the second. Why would a mere child be given a Voot Runner and sent to Earth? Dib was even more confused. Even after all he years of studying Zim, he had never thought to look into where he had come from or how the beings there acted, and it was obvious that Earth wasn't the 'hot spot' for Irken invasion. For the first time in his life, Dib was at loss.

"So….do we send her back, or…" he trailed off.

"You can't…" A small voice intervened, startling the two. Dib smiled down at her, trying not to throw her into another freak out.

""You're okay! How do you feel?" Merit pulled the blanket up over her mouth, intimidated by the strange creature. It wasn't Irken, so, as far as she was concerned, it was friendly. "C'mon, now. You're among friends. We want to help you." He cooed gently, placing a hand on top of her head. Zim, on the other hand, wasn't feeling up for comforting.

"Out of the way, Dib-beast. You! Smeetling! Sit up straight." He commanded. He was going to get answers, and he was going to get them soon. Alarmed, Merit couldn't help but comply. She shot up on the couch, knocking the blanket onto the floor, and stared up at Zim with large pale pink eyes. Zim sat down on the coffee table in front of her and glared at her. "Now, you're going to tell Zim why you came to Earth. Do the Tallest know you stole a Voot Runner? Why aren't you ranked?"

"Zim, you're scaring her!" Dib cried, placing a hand on her shoulder. The Irken Invader calmed down, but not much. He still sat, glaring daggers at the two, waiting for an answer. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. "All we want to do is help you get back home."

"But I can't go back! Don't you understand? I can't go back!" She broke down, throwing her arms around Dib and crying into his chest. The human simply patted her back and let her cry.

"What do you mean you can't go back?" Zim demanded to know. Merit sniffled and wiped at her eyes. "Tell us the truth, from the beginning."

"Okay, okay. I didn't steal the Voot Runner, and I'm here because the Tallest sent me here."

"To take over my mission! Well, I'll have them know that I-"

"No! No, that's not it. They didn't send me _here_, they sent me away. I was banished from Irk." The two young men stared down at them, mouths slack. Dib couldn't fathom how rulers could just send someone away, and so young. "And I don't have a rank because I…I never finished my training." Zim leaned in closer to her. He couldn't quite decipher if she was telling the truth, but then again, why would one lie about being banished.

"What did you do?" he wondered aloud. Merit let out shuttering breath and placed Luna in her lap.

"It isn't what I did. It's what I wouldn't do." She sighed again. "On Irk, we're preparing for battle. They wouldn't tell us where, or why, but I think they're planning on expanding Irken territory. Anyway, they began breeding more smeets to train into soldiers.

"I was doing okay on the rules of war and the basics of combat, but when it came time to actually start the hard part, real-life sparring, I…I just couldn't do it. The thought of killing someone, anyone, just…made my stomach turn." She had to choke back the tears just to continue. "The Tallest decided that if I couldn't do my part in the upcoming conquest, then I wouldn't be considered an Irken Invader. They gave me a Voot Runner and sent me on my way." She wiped her eyes. "I had been wandering the universe, before my computer discovered this planet, Earth. It told it to mark a course, but I guess the gravitational pull was a bit too much, and I crashed."

"So they just threw you out because you wouldn't fight? That's horrible!" Dib cried, rising from his seat with his fist clenched. To ship off some maniac like Zim was one thing, but to leave a defenseless little girl to die, because she didn't want to hurt others? "What kind of backwards planet do you come from?"

Zim scoffed. "Stupid worm baby, of course she was banished. Invaders are bred to be just that, invaders. Fighters. Refusing to fight is going against our breeding, and sometimes even considered treason." He glared down at her, and couldn't help but be slightly disgusted that she wouldn't stop that damned crying. "You should consider yourself lucky you didn't get worse, smeet."

Merit's eyes widened at the mention of 'something worse'. Treason? Was he implying that she could have been killed? The information, all of it, swam in her head much too fast, and she had to put a clawed hand to her forehead to keep from getting dizzy all over again.

"They would have killed her?" Dib wondered out loud. Zim merely nodded sagely.

"If she refused to fight in actual combat, then yes." He didn't feel the least bit bad about saying either. It was simply the way things were on Irk, and, as far as he was concerned, they way they should stay.

There was a heavy silence as the three contemplated on what to do next. They couldn't really send her away, but she couldn't exactly stay at Dib's either. And what about school and work? She wouldn't know how to support yourself. Dib sighed and took Zim by the arm, pulling him out of the living room and into the hall. They had to figure out something, and he'd be damned if he did it on his own.

"So, what do we do now, Luna?" Merit whispered to the doll in her lap, as the two young men exited the room. Luna always had an answer for everything.

_We stay…_ That was it. No explanation as to why, and no plan of action, but she supposed it was better that nothing.

-

"So, what do we do with her?" Dib asked, releasing his hold on the aliens arm. Zim merely shrugged.

"I don't know. I've never had to deal with a smeetling before-"

"Why do you keep calling her that?" Dib was starting to get frustrated with the whole situation. Forty-five minutes ago, he was happily wasting his life away at Bloaty's, harassing 'the green kid', and that's where he should be now, not baby-sitting yet another alien who could possibly be using her big pink eyes and Alligator Tears as a ruse to trick them into helping her destroy the planet. "What does that even mean?"

"A smeet is what you humans would call a baby or a child. Your considered a smeet until you graduate from the Academy." Zim took in the human's blank stare and let out an irritated sigh. "Do you know anything? The Academy is where they train smeets so they can become useful members of Irken society."

"Well, what if she just wasn't cut out to be a soldier? Couldn't they have found another job for her to do?"

"It depends. If it were peacetime, then they would have assigned her to something else. But since Irk is preparing for battle, most are brought up to be combatants, and not much else." Zim couldn't help but wonder what this new plan of galactic conquest could be, but he could really afford to face one issue at a time right now. "But that's not what's important right now. We need to figure out what to do with her."

"I think she should stay with you." Was Dib's quick response.

"Excuse me!"

"Think about it. I have to stay here and every room in the house is taken except for the living room, and I doubt she wants to sleep on that raggedy old couch while she's here. You, on the other hand, have that huge base, with no one except you and Gir. And besides, maybe she'd be more comfortable with one of her own." That damn human had him dead to rights, he supposed. If anyone could help her make a new life for herself, it was him. But then again, he didn't really have this whole 'being human' thing completely understood.

"Fine. But you're going to do every thing else!"

"Everything else?" Dib looked slightly puzzled.

"Clothes, food, getting her into school-" Zim counted the chores off on his claws, and though the list wasn't long, it was definitely difficult, and, even more so, unreasonable . Feeding her every day and night, finding clothes that actually fit? Dib peered around the corner at Merit, who was still seated on the couch with her little stuffed alien. He put a finger to his chin and thought. Maybe there was a solution.

"Come with me." He commanded quietly before striding back into the living room. Merit looked up at him with bright, now dry, eyes. "Merit, we've decided to keep you. You're going to stay with Zim at his base, but I'll be taking care of you."

"So you'll be my new parents?" she asked, excitement apparent on her round little face. That was the last thing the two wanted to considered themselves, but there was really nothing else to call it. They were going to have to become her…parents.

"Yeah. Your parents." The words sounded so awkward coming of his Zim tongue, but at the same time, it made his little alien heart beat faster. Imagine him, the great and mighty Zim, a father.

"Anyway, first thing's first. We need to get you some clothes. I think my sister may have some tucked away in her closet."

-

Pink was the last thing Zim expected to see within a five mile radius of Dib's devil-sister, Gaz. In fact, he didn't really expect to find any color except black and purple, but, lo and behold, tucked away in the deepest reaches of her closet were boxes stuffed with bright colored polo shirts, t-shirts, and stylish designer blue jeans.

"Gifts from distant relatives. They don't come to visit much, so they just mail us what all the 'other kids' are wearing." Dib tossed one particularly large cardboard box onto his sister's bed before reaching back into the closet to fish out another. Merit, nearly bouncing with anticipation, began nervously sifting through the bundles of clothes. The 'smeet' pulled out a baby pink polo shirt that was soft to the touch, made of some strange, thin material, and she shifted it around in her hands until she found the tag on the inside collar.

"Dib? What does…Aeropostale mean?" The human sighed.

"It's means the for price of that shirt, you could buy dinner for three days." He joked, of course, as he thought back to one of the few nice conversations he had ever had with Gaz, when the two went online to actually price one of the so-called quality pieces.

"Really?" Zim was suddenly intrigued. He may have temporarily given up hope on his mission, but he still wanted to know as much as possible about these humans. Just in case he decided to end his hiatus and destroy them.

"No, Zim. Not really." Dib scoffed. How could someone be so naïve. "Actually, I don't think it means anything. It's sounds nice, and it look nice, so why not use it?" He pulled out another box and plopped it down next to the first. "That should be the last of it." He sighed. "At least I hope so. Those things are heavy."

Merit pushed the second box, filled mostly with jeans, so that the content spilled onto the mattress.

"They all look the same…"she mumbled to herself. Without warning, she rose to her feet, unfastened the black pants issued to her, and shoved down past her ankles. Blushing, Dib grabbed Zim by the arm, as he was getting accustomed to doing, and dragged him out of the room.

"We'll just give you some privacy." he chuckled as he closed the door behind them. As soon as the door was shut, Zim snatched his arm away before holding his head high and marching back to the living room. He wasn't about to be dragged around by some pitiful Earth-worm. Sighing miserably, Dib followed behind him and let himself drop, unceremoniously, onto the couch.

"She needs a disguise." The alien stated as he perched himself on the arm of the couch, leaving plenty of space between himself and the human.

"I'll leave that up to you." The alien scoffed.

"Yeah, like you have a choice."

--------------------

Sorry, but I had to stop it. This is probably the longest chapter I've ever written (4 pages) . It doesn't help that my brain just flopped out. Blah. Please read and review.


	3. Promises

Disclaimer: Invader Zim characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez, and no money is being made from their use. All original characters belong to me, and it would just be rude to use them without crediting me.

Glass Dominos

By

Lisa-chu

Chapter Two

Promises

"How does it look?" The two males turned their attention two her, and, despite them being a little small, the clothes were a success. Merit tugged at the hem of the pure white shirt nervously as her cheeks flushed a bright purple. She shifted uncomfortably in the stiff dark blue jeans, and Dib felt a little sorry for her.

"They look fine." He smiled soothingly. "Now there's just one more issue we need to look into. Zim?"

Clearing his throat, the Irken rose from his perch on the arm of the sofa, strode over to the shorter alien, and examined her closely.

"We need to get you a disguise, and a good one. I won't have you ruining all my hard work, running around all…_exposed_." He placed a clawed finger under her chin and tilted her head up with surprising gentleness, which was not lost on Dib.

He would never admit it aloud, but he was sensing some subtle changes in Zim, particularly in the few hours. He was still a pompous, egotistical manic and kind of an idiot, but he seemed to have grown up, and the fact that he now had one of his own to take care of only amplified that. '_Now only if he'd find a nicer way to show it._' The human was lost in his own thoughts until the shadow of his co-worker and childhood enemy loomed over her.

"What do you think Dib-worm?" Zim asked, glaring down at him.

"Hmm? About what?" The alien sighed and put a hand to his forehead.

"I was saying we should this little meeting back to my base so she can be properly fitted for a disguise. Unless there's something _here _we can use?" They both knew very well that there wasn't, so he really had no choice but to agree. That, and who was Dib to pass up an invitation to explore the alien's base. For future reference, just in case he tried to pull anything.

"Fine. But before we go, we need something to cover her up." He grabbed his trench coat from the armchair where he left it that morning, and placed it over Merit's head. "We got lucky bringing her here from the crash site, but who knows who we might run into on the way." Zim nodded, but could only half heartedly agree. Stranger things had happened in the city since his arrival, he doubted they'd notice just one more green child.

-

"This machine will give you a life like disguise of your choice. Just simply make a selection and the computer will do the work for you. I'll be monitoring the progress from here." Zim announced from his place at some panel or another in his lab. Dib was impressed, to say the least, that so much high-tech equipment could fit in the little shanty that was Zim's base.

"Will this hurt?" Merit asked timidly as she stood before the pod. The alien simply looked at her, wide-eyed. He didn't want to tell hurt that, yes, actually, it hurt like hell, lest she back out and refuse. That, of course, was simply not an option. So instead, he motioned to Dib to usher her inside. Seeming to read his mind and understand his logic, Dib placed his hand at the small of her back and gently pushed her into the pod, which immediately closed in around her. Zim hit a button, and the process initiated.

The machine made a horrible whirring noise, probably from years of sitting idle, and Merit's screams were nothing less than heart-wrenching, but the process over all was quick, almost instant, and she came out unharmed.

"How do I look?" She asked timidly. Dib smiled, and Zim grinned.

"Perfect, of course. That's the beauty of Irken technology." the alien placed his hands on his slim hips and beamed, obviously proud of himself even though he hadn't really done anything. Merit smiled as well, and brought her new, non-clawed hand up to the synthetic blonde hair that covered her antennae. Her green skin had transformed into that of a normal blonde female, white with the slightest hint of a tan.

"Can I see the rest of it?" Merit asked, almost bouncing with excitement. She could barely contain herself. Finally, she was going to fit in someplace. Zim simply pointed her in the direction of the elevator, which would lead her to the top level of his base.

"The bathroom is upstairs. Gir can show you where it is." She almost broke into a run in her enthusiasm, and she jumped into the elevator and waved the two farewell as the steel doors closed, leaving the two males alone.

"This is a really good thing you're doing, you know that right?" Dib smirked, although he meant it in all sincerity. Zim sneered at the remark.

"I have no idea what your talking about, Dib-stink."

"I mean what your doing for Merit. Letting her live here, giving her a disguise. You know, helping her out, and stuff. It's just…really nice." For some reason, the whole discussion was getting under the alien's skin. All of a sudden he felt…soft, unthreatening. Not like an invader at all.

"Don't think that girl has made me soft, worm baby. It's just that Irkens look out for their own, especially the smeets. Unlike some of you selfish humans, it seems." he sneered. Dib was slightly taken aback by the response. This is what you get for complimenting someone? "And anyway, most of this was your idea, so she really has you to thank."

Zim couldn't believe the dribble that was falling from his mouth, but it was the truth. Sure, he was giving her shelter and a disguise, but Dib was the one giving her everything else, everything he couldn't provide for her. Zim had to admit that, despite not doing what could be called 'equal work' in the salutation, it was nice to be useful, to be needed.

"Well, it's the least we could do, I guess. I couldn't imagine just leaving her there like that. Who knows what would have happened if the police or someone had gotten to her first." A pregnant pause passed between them, before Zim let out a small, almost inaudible chuckle. The human raised an eyebrow, wondering if he should be disturbed or just join in.

"It's just that, I feel like one of your parental units. Fussing over this little smeetling like she was a new born worm baby. It's just a little…funny, I guess." Dib smiled.

"Yeah, I guess it is. Just one question though."

"What is it, Dib-worm?"

"You actually picked out that piss poor costume for yourself?" Dib laughed as he made a mad dash for the elevator, knowing full well that he had crossed Zim one to many times for one day.

-

"So, how do you like it?" Merit asked Luna, holding her up and twirling her around. She still hadn't come down from her high of having a disguise, particularly one so beautiful, and she was eager to tell everyone she could about it.

_It's lovely._ The doll responded, her little glass eyes seeming to gleam with the same joviality her owner felt.

"Oh, Luna! I can't wait to show the whole planet!"

"Well, you'll get your chance come Monday." Merit's heart leapt into her throat. She spun around to face Dib, his face slightly flushed and his normal smile still in place. "That's when you'll be starting school."

"So soon?" She pouted. She didn't enjoy school back on Irk, she couldn't imagine that Earth school was any more fun.

"Yes, so soon. You should start as soon a possible, just to get it out of the way." Dib patted her on the head and sat down on the garish purple sofa. He made a mental note to give Zim a 'Your Welcome' note for not letting his piss poor taste anywhere near the young Irk. "I'm sure you'll like it." His expression fell as he thought. "The only issue is where to place you."

"Place me?"

"What filth are you filling he head with now, Dib-beast?" Zim sneered as he entered the living room, obviously still miffed about the human's comment back in the lab.

"He wants to know where to place me when I start human school." Merit chimed in, holding Luna close as always. Zim rolled his eyes.

"Why even bother putting her into school, I say." Dib glared at him.

"Because if the staff finds out she's living here and not going to school, she could be arrested and taken to Juvie. That's why we bother." Zim's antennae perked at the word 'arrested' and his anger at the human race grew just that much.

"They arrest you if you don't go to school? Ridiculous!" he declared as he began pacing. In all the years he had spent on Earth, he had never heard anything so sill.

"Well, they do in this district at least. It's to decrease the odds of kids playing hooky." Dib replied. Merit sat down on the floor by his legs and began tidying up Luna's clothes, making sure her dress and antennae were just right. "Not that you'd ever get caught doing something that dumb."

Zim couldn't help the little pang he felt in his heart at the sight of the two. In such a short time, they had gotten so close, one would've thought they had known each other for ages. Whereas Zim had been here for almost ten years and he still didn't feel that comfortable around the human. 'Of course, it could be because he's been trying to stop you from ruling this pathetic ball of dirt.' the little voice of reason in his head chimed in. All the same, though, it would be nice to at least feel like he belonged on this planet, even if it was by one person.

Clearing his voice, Zim regained his composure and got himself back on track. "Merit, follow me to your new room." he commanded, his voice uncharacteristically soft. The shorter Irken jumped up, smiling as she followed her new guardian through the hallway to the rooms in the back.

-

"I never knew these rooms were here." Dib thought out loud. After all the years of spying into Zim's base, he had never noticed the hallway that branched off of the living room and lead to two more rooms.

"Of course not, because I don't keep top secret weaponry or equipment in my bedroom, Dib-stink." Zim rolled his eyes as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, and Dib supposed it made sense. One wouldn't really want to find himself on the wrong end of a sword or some such thing, just trying to get to the bathroom at night. "This is where you'll be staying." He pushed open a seemingly normal, or at least Zim's definition of normal, door. "Gir's been busy preparing it for you."

The room wasn't extravagant, but it was large enough to fit all the essentials of a bedroom. A full-sized bed rested against the wall adjacent to the door, but it was currently being occupied by a sleeping Gir, mini-moose, and a stuffed Filler Bunny.

"Gir! I thought I told you to get this room ready!" Zim shouted at the Sir unit, waking it out of its slumber.

"Master! You're home! I heard the crash an' I got so worried!" Gir had gotten itself worked into a frenzy and immediately began to wail, latching itself onto its master's leg.

"I'm fine, Gir, just get off of me!" He kicked his leg with just enough force to detach the robot. "Now listen, Gir. You see this girl?" Gir nodded. "This girl will be living with us for an undisclosed amount of time. I need you to get this room as tidy as possible by bedtime tonight." The Sir unit obviously understood, because its eyes began to glow red, and he saluted.

"Yes, sir!" it declared.

"Really, Zim. You don't need to go through the trouble. All I'll need are maybe some bed sheets. I can tidy up myself." Merit smiled. It was apparent that it was more of a chore to get Gir to cooperate than actually cleaning the room, and it would probably go a lot faster if she just did it herself. Besides, the room wasn't a total disaster. Zim, however, was having none of it.

"Nonsense. This is what he's programmed for." He replied before turning his attention back to the dysfunctional Sir unit. "Now, Gir. We're going out, and when I come back, this room had better be perfect. Understood?" Without waiting for a response, Zim marched off, intent on getting the human out of his base as soon as possible. Just because he was on hiatus, doesn't mean he wanted that big headed pig smelly poking about his home.

-

"Where the hell did you two run off to? You were gone an hour before your shift was-"

"Calm down, Scott! It was only an hour, and besides we had more important things to take care of." Dib breezed by him with nothing more than a wave of his hand as he led Merit to a booth near the back. The young manager followed, not quite through saying what he had to say.

"I'm serious, Dib. All of this running off-" Dib raised his hand, cutting the teen off.

"Scott, I promise you. I will never run off with Zim, or any other man, for that matter, for as long as Bloaty's owns my soul." the teen blushed a deep scarlet, but couldn't bring himself to say anything in response. Instead, he turned on his heel and went back to his work, leave a chuckling Zim, and smirking Dib, and a slightly confused Merit behind. "Well, what does everyone want?" he asked, smiling as he opened a menu.

"What is all of this?" Merit asked, leaning in close to get a better look at the menu. Only a few these looked appetizing.

"This is pizza, probably what you'll be eating a lot of." She stuck her tongue out.

"It looks funny."

"And it tastes even worse." Zim chimed in, glaring at the menu as almost all of the terrible memories involving Bloaty's Pizza and the like came rushing back to him.

-

"Computer. Locate Merit's Runner." his clawed hand twitched nervously, and his patience was already wearing thin. Although Irken technology was one of the fastest, it seemed like it was taking ages to locate one little Voot Runner. On top of all that, there was a hefty price to pay if he were discovered by any of the others. The Tallest had recently deemed all contact with banished Irkens illegal and, depending on the case, an act of treason.

"Voot Runner located." the computer responded, almost a whole minute later, as unfamiliar coordinates scrolled across the screen.

"How did she make it all the way out there? That planet isn't even charted." He shifted his attention, for a moment, to the Map of the Universe, as the Tallest saw it. Apparently, this planet was nothing more than a sticky-note hanging on for dear life at the end of the universe. "Computer, status of the ship."

"Ship's status: wrecked. No life forms are detected in the vehicle." He quickly assumed the worst. That his long time friend had crash landed on this uncharted planet, possibly a barren wasteland, and had more than likely perished. Tears formed in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away, determined not to show any signs of weakness, even to himself. "I have to think positive. She may still be out there."

The words resonated in his mind, as did his promise to her when they were still smeets in the Academy.

_Wherever you may go, I'll find you._

_----------_

And just who is this mysterious new Irken? Well, you'll find out soon enough. Sorry if this chapter was boring in any respects. But the yummy slash will be coming soon. In the mean time, enjoy!

Ps. In my school district, they really do call the truancy officer if your not in school and don't have an excuse.


	4. I Wonder

Disclaimer: All Invader Zim characters belong to Jhonen Vasquez and no money is being made from their use. All original characters belong to me, and it would just be rude to use them without crediting me.

Glass Dominos

By

Lisa-chu

Chapter Three

I Wonder…

Despite all of the nice thing Zim and Dib had done for her to help her feel a bit more at home, there was still one thing Merit could honestly say she hated about Earth: early mornings. At six in the morning, Gir had bound into her round, jumped on her bed and, consequently, right on her stomach, jarring her out of a semi-peaceful slumber.

"Gir! What the hell!" She cried out as the Sir unit jumped of the bed. She couldn't stay mad, however, as Gir stared up at here with pitiful eyes. "I'm sorry, Gir, but you shouldn't jump on people like that. It really hurts." She sighed, eased herself out of bed, and trudged out of the room and across the hall to her caretaker's room.

"Zim? Are you up? She whispered into the dark bedroom. The room was about as large as her own, but the bed was placed in the middle of the room, so it took up more space. The elder Irken was still sleeping, shirtless, in the middle of the large bad. "Zim, wake up, we have to get to Dib's before school." Merit tiptoed to the side of the bed and placed a clawed hand on Zim's shoulder, planning on shaking him awake. However, he had been a light sleeper and immediately shot up, grabbing her wrist.

"What are you doing, smeet?" He asked, his voice thick with sleep. Merit was trying to get her heart rate down.

"I was trying to wake you up. We have to go to Dib's house for breakfast, remember?" Zim yawned. It wasn't often that he needed sleep, but with getting everything together so it was suitable for taking care of another, not to mention dealing with the Dib-human for hours on end, he simply needed a few seconds to relax. A few seconds turned into a few hours, and then all of a sudden he was being shaken awake by his new charge.

"Of course, of course. Go get dressed, I'll be out in a minute." Smiling, Merit bound out his room, closing the door behind her.

Thankful, he fell back onto his lush pillows, sighing miserably. At this point in life, taking care of the little was probably the least stressful thing on his mind. What was coming up as number one on that list was all this time he was spending with the human. Every morning, he would come over, or Zim would take Merit there, and he would shower her with new little delights such as more clothes or food, or sometimes nothing at all. Just a friendly ear or a shoulder when she was homesick. And since she was Zim's responsibility as well, he was there watching every encounter from the sidelines. He couldn't help but wonder why, when Zim had come to Earth, he had been all dissections and exposure, but when it came to the smeet, he was sweet, almost fatherly. It just didn't seem fair, somehow.

"Humph. The circumstances are hardly the same." He thought out loud, reason finally winning over pathetic emotions. It was with this clear state of mind that he began to dress for the day.

-

Dib was used to being up so early. With no mom to speak of and the Professor usually at work at this hour, it had become his responsibility to make sure Gaz was up, ready, and fed in enough time to make it to school. So making breakfast was no big change to him.

"Why are you making so much?" Gaz asked from her place at the table. Dib turned the burner off and put the eggs and bacon on a plate to cool, hoping Zim and Merit wouldn't take too long to get her.

"We're having company for breakfast from now on, Gaz." The young girl's eye twitched. She didn't really like surprises such as this.

"And does dad know about this?" She asked. Not that their father would really care. He was too busy finding the cure for cancer or whatever he was working so hard on. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it's just breakfast, Gaz. Jeeze, it's not like they're living here." This was the reason he didn't tell Gaz a lot of things. She was so negative, particularly when it came to other people. It made him wonder if she planned on living a life of seclusion when she left home.

Dib set the frying pan in the sink, just as the doorbell rang. "Come in!" He called. It seemed appropriate, since Zim obviously had no problem just waltzing into his house. As if on cue, Zim pushed the door opened with a flourish and marched inside, Merit in tow.

"Good morning, Dib!" the smeet chirped merrily as she hugged him. He couldn't help but wonder what had her so happy this early in the morning.

Small talk, on the other hand, was not Zim's forte, and without a word, he sat down at the kitchen table, across from Gaz. The young girl glared menacingly at him as she finished her last fried egg. Still scowling, she rose from the table and stalked out of the kitchen.

"She seemed nice." Merit commented.

"Yeah, about as nice as Satan himself." He mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, breakfast is ready. Feel free to help yourself." She smiled and did just that, eager to try this new human cuisine. Dib sighed and took a seat next to Zim, who was busy staring absently at the Formica tabletop. The human stared at him for a moment, lost in thought as to what could be bothering the little alien so early in the morning.

"Thank you for the food Dib!" Merit snapped him out of his reverie with her pleasant show of gratitude. He simply smiled and nodded, not sure how to respond. Gaz never said 'thank you' when he cooked for her, and it was probably because it had become so common place, almost like his job. But, all the same, it was a bit refreshing to hear it. "Aren't you gonna eat anything, Zim?"

Zim raised his eyes to look at her, and simply shook his head. Okay, know Dib was certain that something was wrong. Usually the question would trigger a long winded, hostile response as to how Earth food was inferior in some way, shape, or form to that of an Irken. But this morning, there was nothing.

"Are you feeling alright, Zim? You're not usually this…quiet." Dib asked. Snapping out of it, Zim narrowed an eye at him before holding his head high and crossing his arms.

"I am fine, Dib-stink. Not that it's any of your business." He replied. The human rolled his eyes, deciding to never again concern himself with Zim's feelings, or lack thereof. Merit watched the interaction with rapt interest.

"Why do you two fight so much? Are you guys in love with each other or something?" The comment was meant to be a joke, but the two young men froze, and Zim's eye began twitching wildly.

"That is the most absurd things-"

"Wow, look at the time!" Dib interjected with an awkward grin on his face. He was desperate to end this conversation before it even began. "We've got to get to school before the bell rings." He rose from his seat, took Merit's plate, and set it in the sink.

"What? But we just got here." She replied, pouting. "Besides, I wanted more eggs."

-

"Computer, any signals from Merit's Pak?" He was getting more and more risky with these endeavors, but he couldn't stop. Making sure she was okay was like a drug to him, and it consumed all of his time. It was only a matter of time before one of his superiors fond out, or even worse, the Tallest.

"Pak belonging to Merit located. No signals detected." The computer whirred its response. The outlook was getting bleaker. A wrecked Voot Runner, no signals coming from her Pak. It could only mean one thing.

"No!" He growled to himself, forcing the thoughts out of his head. Perhaps if he refused to believe that his friend had died, then it wouldn't be true. But the evidence seemed to be glaring him in the face.

"Still letting those little girls get you into trouble?" A voice behind him shook the young Irk out of his reverie. He whipped around and came face to face with the bane of existence. "Really, Zaid, is that how you treat a friend of the family?"

"I would hardly call you a friend, Tak, now what the hell are you doing here?" Zaid rose to his feet, using his body to block the computer screen. Tak smirked and her eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to him.

"Relax, rookie." she sneered as she put a clawed hand to his chest, shoving him back down to the plush computer chair. "I've heard all about you, locking yourself up in your room, fiddling away on that computer of yours all day and night." Tak put on a worried façade, which quickly fell way to a sinister smirk. "And now I know."

"You don't know shit!" Zaid shouted at her, attempting to stand by forcing his weight against the clawed hand that rested on his chest. Tak, however, was stronger, and easily held him at bay. She tossed her head back and laughed at his pitiful attempts.

"I wouldn't be so eager to get away from me, if I were you, boy. Who knows what trouble I could get you in to?" She was right. If he just cut off the computer connections and turned his back on her, it would give her the perfect chance to run to the Tallest, which wasn't good, depending on how much she had heard. "Now listen carefully, I could help you find you're precious dodger, but you have to help me."

Zaid's mind was racing. He knew the elder Irken was up to no good, and he had every reason to distrust her. But what about finding Merit and keeping his promise to her?

"What do you want form me?" He asked. Tak had the decency to look shocked.

"Want? Me? No, my precious little smeet, nothing like that. I just want to help you." She paused. "Just give me the coordinates you've got there, and I'll prepare a ship to take us-"

"Wait, us?" The young Irk smacked Tak's hand away from his chest and rose to his feet. "If I do find a way to Merit, I won't be taking you with me, Tak. I put my life on that."

"Oh, but how do you expect the Tallest let you fly off through space by yourself?" She crossed her arms, knowing perfectly well that she was right. Zaid knew it too. He was still a rookie, and until he proved himself to his rulers, he wasn't allowed in space alone. It was there that he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"And you've been to these coordinates before?" He asked. Tak smirked and nodded.

"In fact, a dear friend of mine is stationed there." Her smirk fell. It sickened her to call Zim a 'friend', but she would say anything to get this pitiful smeet to play into her hand. "Just let me talk it over with the Tallest, to make sure everything goes smoothly. In the meantime, get ready. You're training starts tomorrow."

"My training?" Zaid questioned. "But I've finished my training already!"

"You pathetic smeet training is nothing compared to what you'll need on that planet. It's a hostile environment in which you'll need the utmost diligence and tactical skill. And for that, you need me. Be ready tomorrow morning, bright and early." With that she turned to leave. Zaid's mind was reeling, but one thing still stood out in his mind. He was going to keep his promise, he was going to find Merit, and Tak was actually going to put her bitchiness on the back-burner long enough to help.

-

"Do you understand, Dib?" Miss Lust, one the meanest advanced algebra teaches ever born, asked, glaring down at the teen. Dib snapped out of his trance at the sound of his teacher's voice, and it was apparent that he was in trouble.

"Um…yes." It came out as more of a question, but thankfully, Miss Lust chose to ignore it and she stalked back to the chalkboard.

"Good, see that you do. Because tomorrow, you'll have a test on everything we've gone over today." The class groaned in annoyance, although it was nothing new. She would catch someone sleeping or staring off into space, reprimand them, and then use it as an excuse to announce the latest test or quiz. It was a vicious cycle.

Dib, however, had slightly better things to think about. Merit's words sill rang clear in his head. Though the prospect of he and Zim being in love with each other was completely laughable, but he couldn't help but think that maybe, some day, something other than hatred would form between them.

He stole a glance at the alien sitting a few seats over from him, dazing off in to space. 'I wouldn't mind a kiss or two, either.'

He blushed at the thought of kissing Zim, but he was also intrigued. He wondered what it would feel like, what it would taste like, to kiss an alien.

Zim was lost in a similar reverie. Love of the Dib-human seemed to be plausible to him, and it would certainly explain these feelings of envy toward Dib's relationship with the smeet. But why now, after so long? After all the chases and backstabbing and nefarious plots, why did the Dib seem so appealing?

The bell rang not long after, and Zim had every intention of leaving, but he froze in his tracks as he looked up and locked eyes with Dib. The human was looking at him strangely, almost a mix of contemplation, anticipation, and…want.

"What do you want, Dib-stink?" He asked, the words coming out more harshly than he intended. It just bothered him to look up and see someone staring at him, especially when that someone was the one who the alien had just been thinking of.

Dib seemed to shake himself out of his trance, cheeks flushed as he shook his head in response.

"Nothing, Zim." He mumbled, brushing past the Irken in a rush to get out of this awkward situation. He couldn't believe he was caught gaping at him like some pathetic school girl. He may as well have been drooling while he was at it. 'Really smooth, Dib.' he chided himself in his head as he walked out of the front doors and toward the middle school, with Zim in tow.

---------

So, hopefully this explains a little more. You know who the mysterious Irken is, and yes, Tak is definitely up to something. Read and review and tell me how you feel.

Ps. Yes, Zaid pronounced 'Zade'is the last of the Oc's. I promise.


	5. Airplanes

Disclaimer: I only own Merit and Zaid. All others belong to Mr. Vasquez.

Note: I actually wasn't planning on updating this any time soon, but I re-read through it, and I came up with some new inspiration for it. The previous chapters were formatted for DeviantArt (which I will no longer be updating, with all the changes they've made.) Even I had trouble following it. So I'll be better formatting it from now own, chu!

Glass Dominos

By

Lisa-Chu

Chapter 4

Airplanes

Zaid had been at this hellish training for months, Tak running his small body ragged. Despite his hatred of the elite invader, he had to give credit where due: Tak certainly earned her title. No matter what move he made, how many punches he threw, she dodged and countered with what seemed like two of her own.

"Come on, smeet! Do you really think you'd last a minute with hostile life forms with shoddy fighting like that? They'd eat you alive!" As if to punctuate her point, she clipped him with a left hook, sending his head reeling and his weary body crashing to the floor.

"It's all for Merit…"Zaid muttered under his breath as he wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to steady his breathing. Unfortunately, his superior was right. Despite all of his training, he was still nowhere near ready to play the hero and rescue his friend, and he did have time to waste. In fact, Tak was planning on shipping him off in two days time on a course for Earth with strict instructions to find his friend, as well as locate any other PAK signals that may be nearby. Why she needed that information, she refused to say.

Tak moved to the far side of the sparring room, where the wall was lined with faux-weaponry and pulled two wooden rods from the racks. Out of all the trainees, this rambunctious young Irken had been mediocre at best. Not terrible, but he would do well enough in battle. What he did offer that the others did not, however, was a reson d'être that lied outside of Irk's orbit. Something she could take and mold and use to her benefit, to crush that disgusting worm of an invader that humiliated her so long ago, while at the same time gaining a new planet for the Tallests' already vast collection. Who knew, maybe they would be so filled with gratitude that they would give it to her. She could turn it into a delightful intergalactic zoo and make millions. "On your feet, boy." She commanded, throwing one of the rods down at his feet. "We're moving on to primitive weapons combat." Without waiting for a response, Tak took aim at the smeet and mercilessly swung.

In the few months since Merit had fallen to Earth, Dib had tried to be the best surrogate father he could be, showing her all of the good things about his home planet before Zim could poison her brain into thinking it was just a waste of orbit like he did. A small part of him even hopped that Zim would open up a bit to the idea that Earth wasn't COMPLETELY horrible.

"I never noticed them before…and you say they ALL have names?" Merit asked in wonder from her place on Dib's left. The three sat in a semi-circle around a rusty old fire pit in the human's back yard, basking in its warmth, as well as the comfort of the rising night climate.

"Yep. Like that one there, it's called the Big Dipper, and next to it is the Little Dipper. And those three there? That's Orion's Belt." Dib was elated when the young Irken pointed up at the night sky and exclaimed that she saw pictures in the stars, asking what Earthlings called them and if they were always there. Maybe it was his fascination with space, or maybe it was the memories it brought back of time when his mother was still alive, cuddling up with him and Gaz and telling them the stories of all the constellations and how they earned their place in the stars.

"Fascinating…Wait, what's that? It's moving! Is it a shooting star?" Merit cried out, eyes wide as she rose from her seat in child-like excitement. Sure enough, a speck of light was slowly gliding across the night sky. "Aren't you supposed to make a wish on those?"

"Foolish smeet, that's simply an Earth airplane. It certainly cannot grant wishes." Zim scoffed, pushing the bangs of his wig out of his eyes. Stars were certainly not something he hadn't seen before, and he was wasting precious planning time sitting here waxing idiotic with the two. After all, they were only stars.

"Why do you have to be a dick, Zim? She didn't know." Dib snapped at the hostile invader, but Merit simply shook her head.

"It's alright, Dib. It was my mistake. I shouldn't have said something so foolish…but asking is how you learn, right?" She smiled, brushing her blonde hair away from her synthetic eyes before turning away. She knew why Zim scoffed the way he had. After all, she had spent six months flying through stars. Maybe it was the rich history Dib said these pictured held behind them, maybe it was that she was looking at through a whole new perspective, the perspective of being in a new home with this beauty right in her back yard. Whatever it was, these constellations had her entranced. "Zaid would love this…He would always get in trouble in the Academy for staring out at the stars. The even had to move his seat." She laughed, though she was more reminiscing to herself.

"Was Zaid your boyfriend or something?" Dib asked, generally curious. His heart nearly broke, however, when Merit turned her attention to him, tears welling in her big blue eyes.

"I don't know what a boyfriend is, but he was very close to me. A very dear friend…"

"An invader needs no friends." It didn't have a bite to it, which was so unlike Zim, Dib noticed. It was stated as though it were a fact, like it was written in Irken law somewhere. And who knew, maybe it was. "It's getting late, smeet. It's getting close to bedtime. Dib-human, you may walk us home."

"What, the Almighty Zim can't handle a twenty minute walk?" Dib chuckled, although he was taken aback. Zim never asked anything of the human, even if it was for Merit. As far as the Irken was concerned, part of her growing up was being able to ask for herself when she needed something.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dib-stink! I just assumed you would like to have a little more time with her before she's put to bed, and you can do that on the way."

"Just admit you're not ready to leave me, Zim. It's okay, I won't tell." Dib smirked and Zim could feel he cheeks burning an embarrassing violet, and a violent retort died in his throat. Eyes narrowed, the invader simply turned tail and walked away, leaving the disgusting human laughing behind him. "Jesus, Zim, lighten up. It was just a joke." Dib tried to rationalize with the alien, but Zim simply shrugged and marched on toward his little green shanty. He was frankly tired of jokes and kids games.

"And he was an amazing fighter, maybe even one of the best in our class!" By the time they had reached Zim's base, Merit had told countless stories about her friend back home, most of which the invader could tell were at least slightly embellished.

"Alright, smeet, I think Uncle Dibby has heard enough for today. It's time for bed. Give Dibbles a kiss goodnight." Zim said in a sickeningly sweet voice, and Merit complied, giving Dib a quick peck on the cheek, and even sneaking one for Zim, before scurrying off to bed.

"She's a sweet kid. I almost wouldn't believe you two came from the same planet." Dib chuckled as Zim shot him a glare.

"Shove it, human filth. I'm afraid she's becoming to…familiar with this planet. Too content, too domesticated."

"Well, why shouldn't she? This is her home now, she should become familiar with it. It's not like she can go anywhere else."

"But that doesn't make her any less an Irken. She should be helping me conquer this ball of dirt, not becoming friends with everything living on it." Dib suddenly saw the root of Zim's hostility to the girl, why he was so harsh one second then seemingly caring the next. In his own sick, manic way, he was concerned. Concerned that she was losing the only tie she really had left to her home planet: he so-called superior up-bringing. And though Dib was elated to see Zim showing some kind of interest in their new charge, it just didn't seem to make sense.

"Zim…think of it this way. If you do destroy Earth, what will you do?" The invader laughed as though the answer were obvious.

"Stupid human, I'll return to Irk a hero." The human sighed and plopped down on Zim's awkward purple couch.

"And you plan to take Merit with you? After she's been banished?" That seemed to burst the alien's bubble. Of course, he had assumed he would have enough pull to revoke her banishment, or maybe she'd grow the courage to do as he did.

"She'll simply have to quit being banished." Zim crossed him arms and shot Dib his signature look: one eye narrowed, one wide. Dib, however, looked dumbfounded.

"Are…are you fucking serious? Did you really just say that?"

"What now, Dib-stink? Was that too much for your pathetic human brain to wrap around?" Zim glared, daring the human to find a flaw in his plan.

"Zim, you can't just-"

"INCOMING TRANSMISSION!" The giant supercomputer shouted, nearly shaking the whole house. "FROM THE MASSIVE!"

"Computer! Patch the transmission through to the living area." Zim commanded, and the giant TV sparked to life, displaying a demented looking smiley face. The invader grabbed Dib by his jacket and shoved him off screen, out of eyeshot. "It must be the Tallest. Just stay out of the way and shut up, I don't need them thinking I'm fraternizing with one of you putrid creatures."

"Hello, Zim. Remember me?" Zim's jaw dropped as he took in those demented violet orbs, glaring back at him from the monitor.

"Tak! What do you want? I thought you would have perished by now…"

"You wish. I won't be long, I'm just calling to tell you to watch your back. In a few weeks time, I'll be paying a visit to that pathetic ball of floating filth to destroy you, the little fugitive bitch you're hiding, and taking that planet for the Tallest."

"Like hell you will!" Zim screamed, throwing his fist into the monitor with surprising force, Dib was shocked his hand didn't go through the glass. "You won't touch a single lekku on her head, and if anyone is conquering this planet, it will be ZIM!" With that, he cut the connection before turning on his heel and storming to the kitchen, toward his lab. Dib was in hot pursuit, but the invader's blood was boiling too much for him to care. In fact, the human might even be able to help.

Merit couldn't breathe. She stood stock still, until Zim and Dib descended into the lower regions of the base. Someone was coming all the way out here to kill her? And Zim? And what could she possibly do to help protect them? The whole reason she had been banished was because she refused to fight. For once, the whole situation tore at her, ate her alive, and for once, she thought her Tallest were right. For once, she felt useless.

* * *

A/N: This chapter feels like it just drug on. But I guess that's what happens when you type it up in one night with nothing to go off of. Oh, and there's a reason why the time Zaid is leaving and the time Tak gave Zim don't match up. Shit's going down. Read and review, please!


	6. Airplanes pt 2

Disclaimer: I only own Merit and Zaid. All other characters belong to Mr. Vasquez.

Glass Dominos

By

Lisa-Chu

Chapter 5

Airplanes pt. 2

"Left!" Zim barked, and Merit threw a left hook as hard as her small body would let her. Zim was determined to make a fighter out of her yet, and so far, she hadn't done too bad. Not spectacular, but not as bad as he thought she would be. "Good. That's all for today, but don't get lazy. Bathe yourself and get ready for school." They had been at this training for the past few days, since Tak's transmission, which Merit had overheard. She, being the type, of course, blamed herself and wanted to help, but weakling were no help to Zim, so he had put off his mission to training her every morning and every night, before and after school.

Dib was simply there to watch. Something about seeing the two interact with each other made his heart feel…warm. And something about seeing Zim, pale green flesh taut over lean muscle with a slight mist of sweat made other parts of Dib feel warm. Of course, the boy wasted no time coming to terms with his lust for the alien, especially with the threat of impending doom looming overhead. In fact, it gave the whole realization a new "do-or-die" perspective, which made it more exciting. Dib had decided that, if he were going to die, he was going to do it with that insane little alien in his arms.

Zim eased himself down in the plush chair, his muscles sore. To be honest, the hardest part of training was, in fact, training. Was it was finished, you were given highly effective and very destructive technology that required little more than the lifting of a claw. Given that Zim hadn't been in training in decades, he had to condition himself all over again to train his smeet.

"She's coming along great." Dib piped up as he rose from his perch, not far from Zim, but far enough to be out of the way. "She's better than I thought." Zim's antennae perked as the human moved closer to him, placing a warm, fleshy hand on the invader's back. Something about his touch alarmed and excited Zim all at the same time, and something in him screamed for more. "You, on the other hand, look like you're about to keel over, old man." Dib laughed.

The human placed his other hand on Zim's back and began kneading the tense flesh, eliciting a soft keen from the slender form beneath him. In an act of boldness, Dib moved his hands to Zim's neck, massaging the tender flesh before gliding those nimble fingers to his chin and tilting his head back. Ruby red orbs blinked up at him curiously before Dib decided, now or never. He captured Zim's lips in a tender kiss. He didn't know what to expect of a kiss from an alien, but he certainly wasn't expecting it to be so soft, almost feather soft. And certainly not gentle. But here he was, drinking in this invader, swimming in the pleasure and the danger of it all.

"Um…I'm ready…" Merit peeped out from the entrance of the labs, and the two practically flew to opposite sides of the lab, faces burning. Getting caught hadn't been in Dib's plan for his first alien kiss.

"Care to tell me what that was all about, Dib-stink?" Zim whispered harshly as the three walked to the middle school Merit attended, due mostly to her small size. Dib simply shrugged, not even dignifying the question with a response. As far as he was concerned, it was nothing to talk about with Merit still around. It was bad enough she caught them. "Answer Zim!"

"Okay, well, I know those girls so I'm gonna go on ahead! See you guys later!" And Merit darted off, her face burning red, to catch up with some girls from her grade. Knowing her, she only did it to give the boys some privacy.

"Well, worm baby?" Zim prodded on, stopping dead in his tracks and crossing his arms expectantly. "Why did you molest the Almighty Zim?"

"Oh, please, Zim. The last thing I did was MOLEST you. And I didn't see you pushing me away. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you liked it." Zim's eyes widened behind purple synthetic lenses and his face grow hot. The reaction gave Dib a major confidence boost, and he stepped closer to the alien, wrapping an arm around that slender waist. The Irken's breath caught in his throat as Dib leaned down and pressed his lips against the skin of the alien's neck. Zim's knees nearly buckled as Dib's breath ghosted over every sinfully hot kiss, as he made a trail from his neck all the way up to his antennae.

"Let's go," he whispered hotly, sending shivers through Zim's entire being.

"Go where?"

"To school, clown. We're going to be late." With a quick grope to Zim's behind, Dib turned on his heel, leaving a hot and bothered, and quite pissed off, alien in his wake.

Tak stood before Tallest Red and Purple, knelt obediently on one knee, and it was in that position that she faced her first setback in her master plan.

"Sorry, Tak, but we're afraid you're asking too much. We might be able to spare a few smeets, but a whole fleet? To take out an uncharted planet?"

"You don't understand, these are hostile life forms! They could be planning an attack as we speak!" Purple waived a hand at her, dismissing her pleas.

"We have statistics on that planet and its technology is far too primitive to even know we exist, let alone to stage an attack. Now we did you a favor letting you come back, but now you're crossing the line." The two leaders glared down at the Invader, her begging beginning to grate on their last nerve. She hadn't even told them what they would gain from this mini-invasion of hers.

"My Tallest, consider it a business venture. The food on that planet is quite delectable, and they have a wide variety of alien snacks. It could be…a second Foodcourtia! All of its proceeds would go to you and the Empire, of course." She was pulling at straws. The last thing Irk needed was a new source of snacks, but she would say whatever she had to, if it got her what she needed.

"Hmm…we could always use more snacks…"Red rubbed his chin thoughtfully before nodding to Purple in agreement. "Alright Tak, we'll pursue this…business venture of yours, but you'll have to make due with what we can afford to give you. Five ships, two soldiers each." Five ships and ten men? That was it? Tak was severely disappointed, but like Red said, she had to take what she could get. Besides, how hard could it be to conquer Earth, of all places.

"Thank you, my Tallest." She bowed, mostly to hide her bitter scowl. "I will not disappoint you."

"See that you don't. We're sticking our necks out for you, Tak. If this mission doesn't succeed, don't bother coming back." And with that, she was dismissed. The female Irken could certainly lay the ground work with five ships. So long as that brat, Zaid, played his part.

The day seemed to fly by, as it had the past few days, ever since that transmission. Merit had trouble focusing on her classes, as one would after hearing that an Elite Invader was on a fast track to Earth with the intention to kill them and the world around them, and because of this, the days seemed to fly by in horrid blur.

"What am I going to do, Luna?" Merit sighed, clutching the stuffed Irken to her chest. For once, Luna didn't hold any answers, although the solution was clear. She simply had to fight, or at least try to.

"Are you still carrying that old thing around?" An oh-so-familiar voice rang out behind her. Merit's breath caught in her throat as she whipped around and faced her eavesdropper. "I figured it would have burned up in the crash."

Zaid was well disguised, his normally deep green skin coated in pale white, and his lekku hidden by a thick mass of midnight black hair. Despite that, Merit knew it was him, and her heat filled with delight as she rushed to him, arms wide. Zaid swept her off her feet, literally, and twirled her around, drinking in the sound of his long-lost friend's laughter.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes. Zaid smiled down at her and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"We promised, remember? Wherever you may go…"

"I'll find you…"Merit finished, still beaming. Zaid pressed a hand to the small of her back and began leading her in the direction she was original headed, regaling his trip to Earth and the details of his stealthy construction of his base on the other side of town. He had arrived in the middle of the night, cloaked his ship so that other technology couldn't detect him and possibly eliminate him. He asked Tak what technology she used for such an advanced tactic, and why he even needed it. She only responded that the information was confidential, as was his association with the elder Irken, and no other life form, Irken or otherwise, should know that he was working under her instruction. He didn't argue, as his only goal was to find Merit and make sure she was safe.

"Have you made a base yet?" the male asked, hoping she said no. He hadn't thought far beyond this point in his mission, aside from whatever Tak ordered him to do next, but if need be, he'd stay on this pathetic rock with Merit, protecting her as he should have done all along.

"I don't, but I've been staying with my surrogates. They found me when I crashed months ago, and they've been taking care of me ever since. They even gave me clothes to wear." She did a little spin, showing off her navy polo and jean skirt. "I'm headed there now! You'd absolutely love them."

Zim sized up the smeet that Merit had brought home, and instantly got a bad feeling about his presence. Something told the invader that this boy showing up only days after Tak contacted him was no coincidence.

"He's the one I was telling you guys about." Merit beamed, her hand clasped tightly in Zaid's as she practically bounced in excitement.

"Very nice, now, Zaid, if you'll excuse us, Merit has studying to do." The invader bit out in a hurried voice, making clear that the smeet was not as welcome in his base as his charge was. The last thing Zim was going to do was let this smeet know that they were preparing for battle, lest he really was working under that maniac Tak.

Dib, who had taken to spending time at the base after school, contemplated the scene from his place on the couch. As much as he hated to admit it, he sided with Zim completely, although he wished there were an easier way to make Merit see it. But how do you tell a child with the mindset she had that, right now, no one could be trusted, not even her dearest friend, and that all they had, until this all blew over, was each other? It didn't seem right, but it would keep them all safe.

"But Zim, can't he stay for a little while? He came all this way-"

"Enough. It's getting late and you still have a lot to do. I'm sure you'll see your _friend_ again."

"Zim, that's not fair!"

"I'll compromise with you, smeet. Until you improve in your studies and prove to Zim that you can, in fact, survive on your own on this miserable rock, you will not see that boy. Am I clear?" Without waiting for a response, Zim turned his back on the group, dismissing himself to his lab. If Merit wanted that boy so badly, if she wanted so much to put herself, and him, at risk by interacting with this stranger, she would have to work for it.

"He doesn't understand." Merit whispered when Dib found her, sitting on Zim's front step. The eerie lawn gnomes were armed and ready to attack anything that may disturb the two. "He doesn't know how long I've waited to see him. We promised each other. He came all the way out here, just to find me."

"That's just it, Merit…" Dib interjected. "We don't know exactly _why_ he's here. It just seems like too much of a coincidence. First Tak, now that boy? And they both seem to be looking for you." Merit bit her lip. The human had her dead to rights, but she knew Zaid better than that. He wouldn't possibly get mixed up with that evil woman. Would he? "In his own psychotic way, Zim is just trying to look out for you. He doesn't want to see you hurt, or worse. Neither of us do. We just want to make sure you can handle yourself before we let you run off on your own." Dib playfully ruffled her hair, getting a small laugh out of her. "Either way, your training is only gonna get tougher, and Zim is only going to be harder on you. And so am I. The question you need to ask yourself is: is he worth it?" He didn't expect an answer, as he meant what he said, it was something she needed to ask and answer for herself. Instead, he rose from his seat and back into the base.

Sighing, Merit lifted her gaze to the darkening sky. Another speck of light slowly drifted across the orange and violet, and the smeet clutched Luna to her chest. "It's just another airplane, Luna…but maybe I could pretend. I could really use a wish right now."

A/N: You all know my inspiration for this chapter. Sorry the ending is so cheesy. Read and review, especially if you think that this is too Dib or Merit-centric.


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